India may consider reducing the gap between second dose and the booster dose of COVID-19 for those travelling abroad

• India is likely to reduce the gap between the second dose and the booster dose from nine months to six months.
• This decision might come soon for people travelling abroad as countries have started mandating a third dose.
• Health experts have also said that reducing the gap between both the doses will also help in speeding up the booster dose drive in the country.

India is reportedly considering allowing people who are travelling abroad to get their booster doses early i.e before completing nine months of gap between the second and booster dose of COVID-19.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the gap between second dose and booster dose may be reduced to six months from nine months.

The Health ministry may set out this new rule keeping in mind the countries requiring travellers to have been administered a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the report, several people have appealed to the central government lately to reduce the gap because many countries have started mandating a third dose for international travellers travelling for jobs, education, or business.

Also, many health experts have also said that reducing the gap between both the doses will also help in speeding up the booster dose drive in the country.

According to the data by the Health Ministry, around 105 billion people were eligible for a booster shot, as of May 1, 2022, however, only 28.3 million people have only taken it.

“The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) is looking at the data to see if it is good to reduce the gap from existing nine months. They might prioritise those who urgently need a booster for the purpose of travel as many countries have made it a requirement for travel. However, the ultimate decision will be based on the opinion of experts on the technical panel,” told a senior government official to HT in case of anonymity.

One of the other reasons behind this is that reducing the gap will also help in bringing down the number of vaccine wastage and reduced immunity in people. Due to lack of people to administer, the number of vaccine wastage is increasing.

Several studies have suggested that the level of antibody declines over time in the vaccinated population, which shows an urgent need for booster shots to protect the people from getting infected.

NTAGI members, on Wednesday, had a discussion on reducing the gap between second dose and the booster dose and opening up the vaccination drive for children below the age of 11 years. However, no final decision was taken by the body on both the matters.

India started the booster dose vaccination drive for healthline workers and people aged above 60 years from January 10, 2022.

SEE ALSO:
Cognizant’s latest earnings have a silver lining for Indian IT majors TCS, Infosys and Wipro
LIC IPO: Second day to subscribe to the issue post poor demand on Day 1; GMP falls to ₹65